He was a newly enlisted soldier, training in the piney woods of Louisiana when he learned about the invasion of Normandy Beach.

"It was only later that I realized what happened on D-Day. When these guys got out of the Higgins boats, they were wading, they were crawling, creeping, running -- whatever they could do to get out of the line of fire,” he recalled.

Now 70 years later, he’s one of the only 1 million WWII veterans in the U.S. left to mark this pivotal point in history that turned the tide of the war raging in Europe.

"At a removal of 70 years, we can talk about the thousands of 17- and 18-year-olds on both sides, who were on that beach on D-Day. On both sides, who were trying to keep from getting killed. And to keep from getting killed, you had to kill other people,” Wolf said.

There were many casualties. Two-thousand Americans died on Omaha Beach alone.

Eric Rivet, a curator at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, also takes a personal interest in D-Day.

His grandfather was one of the American soldiers in Normandy following the invasion. He credits the war for his own life today.

"He met my grandmother, she's (from) Belgium. One thing I tell people is that I wouldn't exist if not for WWII,” Rivet said.

Rivet now helps others relive the day in history.

"You meet a lot of people whose fathers and grandfathers were in the war, and they all had the same reaction, ‘How did they carry all this gear?’ The best part is when the veteran themselves say, ‘How in the world did I carry this?’ Unfortunately that doesn't happen too often,” Rivet said.

With so few in Wolf’s generation still alive, veterans may not have another chance to remember their liberation of France and victory over tyranny.

The National World War II Museum opened in 2000 as the D-Day Museum. However, it was designated by Congress as America’s World War II Museum in 2003.

In an operation commonly known as D-Day, nearly 160,000 Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy in France on June 6, 1944, launching the invasion of German-occupied western Europe that helped turn the tide of World War II. Take a look back at this historic event 70 years later.

WITH A FREE OUTDOOR SCREENING OF THE FIRST TWO EPISODES OF THE H-B-O MINISERIES "BAND OF BROTHERS." THAT'S AT 8 THIS EVENING. ON YOUR SDIE AT THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MUSEUM... CASEY FERRAND WDSU NEWS. AS WORLD LEADERS - VETERANS - AND OTHERS AROUND THE GLOBE ARE MARKING D-DAY IN NORMANDY -- MANY HERE AT VETERANS - AND OTHERS AROUND THE GLOBE ARE MARKING D-DAY IN NORMANDY -- MANY HERE AT HOME ARE REFLECTING ON THEIR PERSONAL CONNECTIONS TO THIS FATEFUL DAY IN HISTORY. ONE WORLD WAR TWO VETERAN LOOKS BACK AT THE DAY OF SACRIFICE ... AND HOW IT CHANGED THE WORLD FOREVER. ROBERT WOLF WAS 18 YEARS OLD... A NEWLY ENLISTED SOLDIER... TRAINING IN THE PINEY WOODS OF LOUISIANA... WHEN HE LEARNED ABOUT THE INVASION AT NORMANDY. "It was only later that I realized what happened on D-Day "When these guys got out of the Higgins boats, they were wading, they were crawling, creeping, running.. whatever they could do to get out of the line of fire." NOW -- 70 YEARS LATER -- HE'S ONE OF ONLY ONE MILLION WORLD WAR TWO VETERANS IN THE UNITED STATES - LEFT TO MARK THIS PIVOTAL POINT IN HISTORY THAT TURNED THE TIDE ON THE WAR RAGING IN EUROPE. "At a removal of 70 years, we can talk about the thousands of 17 and 18 year olds on both sides who were trying to keep from getting killed and to keep from getting killed you had to kill other people." AND THERE WERE MANY CASUALTIES... TWO THOUSAND AMERICAN'S DIED ON OMAHA BEACH ALONE. ERIC RIVET, A CURATOR AT THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR TWO MUSEUM ALSO TAKES A PERSONAL INTEREST IN D- DAY.... "This is what a man who landed on D-Day was wearing, and this is what a paratrooper was wearing... Plus the weapons behind me." HIS GRANDFATHER WAS ONE OF THE AMERICAN SOLDIERS IN NORMANDY FOLLOWING THE INVASION ... AND CREDITS THE WAR FOR HIS OWN LIFE TODAY. "He met my grandmother, she's belgium. 1 Thing I tell people is that I wouldn't exist if not for WWII." RIVET NOW HELPS OTHERS RELIVE THAT FATEFUL DAY IN HISTORY... "You meet a lot of people whose fathers and grandfathers were in the war, and they all had the same reaction.... how did they carry all this gear. The best part is when the veteran themselves say, how in the world did I carry this... unfortunately that doesn't happen too often." AND THAT'S WHY THIS ANNIVERSARY HE BEING SO WIDELY CELEBRATED ... WITH SO FEW IN WOLF'S GENERATION SILL ALIVE... THEY MAY NOT HAVE ANOTHER CHANCE TO REMEMBER THEIR LIBERATION OF FRANCE ... AND VICTORY OVER TYRANNY. AND VICTORY OVER TYRANNY. OUR NATIONAL WORLD WAR 2 MUSEUM -- ORIGINALLY OPENED IN 2000 AS THE D-DAY MUSEUM -- HOWEVER WAS DESIGNATED BY CONGRESS AS AMERICA'S WORLD WAR TWO MUSEUM IN 2003. AND AS WE REMEMBER THAT DAY IN